FNLG 133 - Introduction to Cree with Darlene Willier

COURSE DETAILS:

First Nations Language Plains Cree is a 3 unit university-level course that provides instruction at the introductory level. Students will focus on the spoken use of Plains Cree including basic conversation, greetings, introductions, prayers, household vocabulary and an introduction to the Plains Cree orthography. Students will learn the spoken use of Plains Cree through classroom instruction, games/activities, language labs and self-evaluation. Students will practice Plains Cree immersion speaking within the classroom environment and gain an understanding of how to continue with their language learning outside of their academic program.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

This course will introduce and build on the learning from the previous term to give students the foundation of Plains Cree skills they will need to participate in Plains Cree basic conversation. At the conclusion of the course, students will:

Understand and say some 250 words in Plains Cree including vocabulary for clothing and body, classroom objects, food and cooking, community, relatives.

Recognize and produce, with some accuracy, although not yet mastery, all sounds of Plains Cree, and how they are represented in the practical alphabet.

Understand and produce yes-no questions/answers and questions about who (awina), what (kikway) and what happened (tansi kaki-esipayik)

Understand and say sentences that include simple descriptions of people, their qualities, activities, and of objects and their qualities.

Use the pointing words oma, awa, ohi and anihi, relating to animacy in simple sentences;

Make introductions, stating place one comes from, name, and name of ancestors and relatives;

Understand and use the possessives niya, kiya, wiya, (1st, 2nd and 3rd person singular) in simple statements and descriptions,